What Did We Get Ourselves Into?
by Scarlet Alapaap
Summary: Former partners Zoro and Tashigi are back in business, but this time, it's tougher than any of the cases they've previously handled.
1. We're Back Tell Your Friends

So instead of updating _Quite Unlikely_, I uploaded something new instead. But if you're reading this, and you happen to read my other story, too, In assure that it won't be abandoned anytime soon. I'm currently working on the 14th chapter, and I'll be able to update on Friday after my two-week period of rest. :D

Anyway, this is the first time I'm writing something close to the crime genre, and I'm already giving anybody who's reading this a heads up: I'm not so sure if I can keep up with the expectations of writing crime stories, but I hope this wouldn't be so bad somehow. I'm beginning to like reading about crimes, and mysteries, and unsolved cases when a thought just came to me one night: _Wouldn't it be nice if there was a fan fiction about Zoro and Tashigi working as partners?_ Hence this totally amateur crime fan fiction is born!

Do give me feedback regarding the story. I still need to get used to writing crime stories. Or any adrenaline-pumping, thought-provoking, mind-blowing stories, actually. :D

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**Prologue: We're Back; Tell Your Friends **

"Hello?"

"It's been a while, Tashigi."

The young lady's eyes widened. She knew that voice even after three years of inactivity.

"Smoker-san?" she whispered, but loud enough to hear from the other line. She turned to look around, making sure she was the only one around the vicinity. "It's been a while, indeed! Why'd you call?"

She could hear him shifting in his seat from the other end. "I thought our business would be over, but it looks like we're needed again. Where's your partner?"

She frowned. "Well, he hasn't really kept in touch after our last case, but as far as I know, he's still in the city. Probably teaching kendo or something."

Smoker snorted. "Find him and show your asses up at the firm tomorrow morning. Same time I used to ask you guys to come. We need to get started with this case as soon as possible."

Click. Smoker didn't say goodbye. Well, he never once did. Tashigi placed her phone inside her bag and fished the keys to her car as she continued walking along her office's open parking lot.

It had been three years since she'd seen Smoker. It had also been three years since she worked as an undercover crime investigator for him. After their last case (which they assumed would be the end of their investigating stint), she applied for a job at a small multimedia company somewhere in the city, and is now employed as a full-time graphics artist. It wasn't as challenging and invigorating as her side job, but it paid the bills, and with her current financial state due to a period of unemployment, she couldn't afford to be choosy with job opportunities. She was just lucky she knew enough about vector programs to pass as a graphics artist.

Sometimes though, she'd find herself wishing she could go back to her old life of solving mysteries, putting the pieces together, and catching the culprits.

Now, she had to set off to find her partner. If only it were easy to find him among the dojod scattered around the city. Tashigi started her car's engine, deciding she would drop by the police station to help her narrow her search.

After breaking up with the team, she hadn't heard much from her fellow investigator. She tried calling him up, but his number wasn't in use anymore. It was either he changed his number or he got rid of his phone and never bothered replacing it again, which was more likely to happen since he found mobile phones to be bothersome. He never really picked up their boss' calls, and had openly expressed his passionate dislike for those things because they were bothersome ("Goddamn it, this thing won't shut up!" she remembered him rant as he threw his phone on the ground because it had been ringing for two minutes. It was kind of depressing and disappointing that he never found out how to put his phone in silent mode. She had to do it for him). She let out a short snicker at the memory of her partner's phone ordeals and shook her head. She saw the sign leading to the police station. She only needed to make a few more turns before she reached the place.

"Why'd you have to be so elusive?" she asked to no one in particular as she continued to drive.

The last time she had been in this police station was—you guessed it—three years ago. The Sabaody District Police Department had almost been her second home before, when Smoker's team used to be alerted for reinforcement. Maybe some of the employees still remember her? She could really use some help finding that guy. She made her way to the front desk where a young man—definitely much younger than she was—sat.

"Excuse me," Tashigi began, "but I'm looking for a record of someone from this city."

The young man's eyes lit up when he saw her and beamed. "You must be Tashigi-san from Smoker's crime investigation team! I almost didn't recognize you!"

She didn't really know how to respond to that enthusiastic greeting. And she really didn't expect anybody to remember her in any way. She let out an awkward chuckle. "Uh, yeah, I am Tashigi of Smoker's investigation team. Nice to meet you," she stole a glance at the tag sown on the young man's uniform, "Coby."

Coby smiled. "It's been a while sinc we last saw the team. Actually, anybody from the team." He said happily, his smile never leaving his youthful face. "Ah yes, you wanted to look for someone?"

She nodded. "By any chance, can you track Zoro Roronoa for me?"

"Let me see if I can help you with that." Coby proceeded typing on his computer. "Zoro Roronoa, Age 23, Kendo Instructor."

"Let me take a look if you don't mind." The young lady said as she went behind the desk to chek the information. Coby willingly offered his seat to her, which she politely declined. She scrolled the bar down to see the name of the dojo where he was working in.

"God, this man is so elusive." She muttered to herself as she wrote down the street details to Zoro's dojo "Thank you, Coby. You've been a great help." She said before leaving the place in a hurry.

"Anything for the crime investigation team!" she heard him yell from the front desk.

She was inside her car again, but this time with renewed vigor. She knew where to hunt that green-haired punk. Man, he was going to be surprised that she found him.

She sped up to avoid the late afternoon rush hour. She had to meet up with Zoro and talk to him in person about the call she got from Smoker. Anyway, it had been three years since she last saw him. Shifting her gear and driving a little faster than she usually did, Tashigi made a quick u-turn going to the small dojo near the outskirts of the city.

She had no idea what was going on, but from the looks of it and the urgency in Smoker's tone, this case was perhaps weightier than the previous cases they handled. Smoker worked on his own usually, only sending them if the case was beginning to take up so much investigating time. It hadn't even started, but they were already being summoned. Well, whatever that was, Smoker would tell them about it tomorrow morning.

That is, if Zoro would even be able to wake up early for the meeting tomorrow morning.

She parked her car just beside the dojo and heard a chorus of "ha's" inside the small building as she stepped out. _Splendid_, she thought, _I came in just in time_.

Tashigi slid the door open and was greeted by the sight of twenty kids, all practicing their basic forms in unison. The person she was looking for stood in the middle of the room, arms crossed on his chest, and his posture, confident. She didn't greet him immediately, though. She sat on the corner of the room instead, and continued watching the kids train.

She never really considered him to be able to handle kids, what with his hardened features and tough persona. But here he was, a kendo teacher to a group of kids who could pass as her sons and daughters, you know.

"Class dismissed," she heard him say. The kids immediately cheered and began running around the dojo, fumbling for their things. Tashigi took this as her cue to finally approach the young man. She tried not to bump into any of the kids running around as she slowly walked towards Zoro, who remained glued to where he stood as he drank from his tumbler.

"You should really learn how to put up with mobile phones, you know. That way I wouldn't have to go all the way here just to find you." It was her form of greeting Zoro after not seeing each other for a long time.

"I'm doing well, thanks for asking." He quipped, wiping the sweat from his upper lip. "How'd you find me?"

"Sabaody District Police Station," she simply said. "Anyway, Smoker-san called me upa few hours ago. He wants us at the firm tomorrow morning. Same time he had always told us to come."

Zoro looked at her quizzically. "I thought this whole investigating crap is out of business already."

"Apparently not yet, and judging from the urgency in his tone, it might be bigger than the usual cases we've handled."

"But isn't the sound of his voice always had urgency in it?"

The young lady rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Anyway, how are we supposed to get in touch with you if you're number's not in use anymore? I tried calling you a few times before."

He smirked. "Ya missed me that much?"

"Shut up, punk. Don't take this lightly." Tashigi blushed a little at his unexpected reply.

"Here's my calling card," he said as he handed a small sheet of paper to her. "And I'll be the one answering the phone because this place is also where I currently live."

She gave him a puzzled look. "You got kicked out of your apartment?"

He stiffened. Zoro really had some trouble handling his own money. "If you put it that way," he said nervously. "The land lady did give me a heads up, so I wasn't really kicked out."

"It's the same thing, Zoro" She placed his business card inside her shirt pocket. "Anyway, I'll see you at the firm tomorrow." Tashigi turned round and ambled to the door. "And don't get lost!" She managed to yell before she slid the door close.

Officer Tashigi and Officer Zoro are now back on duty.

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I know it's only the prologue, but what do you guys think?


	2. Reporting For Duty

So... after months of not touching this story, I have finally finished writing the first chapter! :D And I just found out that this story is included in the Zoro &amp; Tashigi Community! I don't know what you guys saw in this story, but I'm flattered and thankful that you took notice of this. TvT

Anyway, I'm still a bit scared with this genre, but hopefully I'll be able to pull this off.

So, to the few people who are following/reading this, here's the first chapter.

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**Chapter One: Reporting For Duty**

"Darn it!" Zoro cussed as he began to run across the street, nearly being hit by a passing vehicle. He could hear some colourful language from the man yelling at the background about the proper use of pedestrian lanes and decoding the meaning of traffic lights to avoid unnecessary road accidents, but he really couldn't care so much about it right now because said young man was running late.

"What the f—it's almost fifteen minutes before eight!"

Scratch that; he was running _extremely _late.

Somewhere on the other side of the city, another young man was also letting out some steam peppered with explicit language, of course, about this moron who couldn't find his way out of a box even with the guide of a compass. Said young man just crushed two cigars on his ashtray, swept his hand through his hair a number of times now, and muttered a string of colourful language under his breath. Tashigi could only sigh at the sight of her irate boss.

"Darn that, Roronoa. That guy is really an idiot." Smoker mumbled as he lit his fresh cigars. "It's only been three years since you guys were here; it wasn't _that _long for him to forget where this place is!"

The young lady shook her head. "You know how he is, Smoker-san. It almost feels like he _must_ go in circles for a number of times to get to where he should be." She pinched the bridge of her nose as she let out a heavy sigh. This was truly getting on her nerves. Sure, she'd always known that her partner's directional sense rivalled that of a rock's, but if this was meant to be comedic or something, it wasn't hilarious at all.

"I don't get it, though," she began, "I told him about our appointment with you yesterday and made sure he didn't forget when I called him up last night." Perhaps Zoro was just truly _that _dull, she decided in her thoughts.

There was a scratching of scabbards and a dull thud coming from outside the small office followed by a string of curses in bass. Zoro has finally arrived. When the door turned to reveal the young man, their boss shook his head in disbelief and disappointment. Tashigi tried to communicate to her partner via telepathy, willing him not to say anything stupid or even aggravate their annoyed superior even more. She sent him a glare, hoping he'd be sensitive about the tension inside the room.

He straightened up a bit, fixed his tousled hair, and dusted off his uniform. "Sorry, I'm late."

"You think we can't tell you're tardy?" Smoker replied, irritation evident in his voice. "You're really not as bright as your hair, are you?" He scoffed as he began to look through the files piled on top of his desk.

Tashigi had to keep her partner from coming up with a retort. Just as he was about to open his mouth, she lightly punched him on the chest, glaring. "Don't say anything anymore, Roronoa." She hissed. Zoro grunted.

Smoker gave his two subordinates a stern look. "Anyway, I called you two here because we need to cover this shit up before it even goes out in the public," he handed a file to the two before proceeding. "We don't want to cause unnecessary panic to the people."

Tashigi opened the folder to see what this was about and was shocked. "Crocodile's on the loose _again_? But I thought we've apprehended him already."

Smoker sighed heavily. "We _did_, but these morons from Impel Down were too dim to even notice that a wanted man was able to escape." He took a long drag and released a puff of smoke. "Even before Crocodile begins to destroy the balance of things after his capture, we have to stop him."

"But Crocodile's a sneaky bastard," Zoro mumbled, "for all we know, he might've begun wrecking havoc in the city."

"Wrong," Smoker quickly added, "he _had _wrecked havoc in the city, only the dimwits called the police aren't too keen on tracking him." He took a long drag of his cigar. "That's why we'll do what they're supposed to do."

Tashigi's brows furrowed. "But sir, if the police aren't fully aware of Crocodile's escape then how did you know about this?"

Smoker handed her a photo of a young woman—probably in her thirties or something—dressed in black, with eyes not staring at the camera, as if the photo was taken candidly. At the back of the photo, Tashigi saw an address.

"Who is she?" She asked as she handed the photo to her partner who also studied the photo of the woman.

"Robin Nico is Crocodile's right hand," Smoker began, "the reason why we're not all too familiar with her was because she mostly does underground activities for her boss, y'know, smuggling illegal drugs, importing weapons, and sometimes assassination."

No wonder she seemed to exude an aura of mystery around her, Tashigi thought as she once again looked at the photo.

"I don't know how she was able to reach me, but I received a call from her yesterday about her former boss' escape." Her boss continued.

"But if she was his right hand, why would she, well, turn him in or something?" The young lady asked, shrugging. "And if she used to work for Crocodile, then how come we didn't even capture her or something?"

Zoro snorted. "You know how the police are, woman. As long as you don't bother anyone, they won't touch you even if you're a potential killer or something. And who knows, those police punks might even be part of the deal, so I'm not really surprised that she hasn't been caught yet."

"Well, you see, Robin Nico is an asset," Smoker said matter-of-factly, "she has an idea where Crocodile could be at the moment. She worked for the guy, after all, so she knows all the places Crocodile can be spotted."

Tashigi nodded slowly as she tried to process everything in her head. The only way to find out and understand why Robin Nico turned his own boss in was to go to her place right away and ask some questions like they were supposed to do.

"Instead of standing there, I suggest you guys head out for Fuschia Village immediately. It's a three hour drive from Sabaody." Smoker said as he proceeded to arrange the files on his desk. "Then report to me immediately what you have gathered. I'll keep watch here in the city for any activity of that bastard."

The two officers bowed to their superior, and wasted no time exiting the small office. When she was sure that the door was closed behind her, Tashigi gave her partner the best stern look she could manage and huffed in annoyance. Zoro only replied with a confused look.

"I told you about today's meeting, right? I even called you last night!" She hissed as they walked along the narrow alleyway leading to their office. "What happened to you?"

Zoro scratched his head. "It's none of your business, woman."

"I have a name, and you flipping know it, Roronoa, so don't call me _woman_. Anyway, it's also my business, in a way, because we're partners, right? So what happened?"

The young man stopped walking, catching the attention of Tashigi. She turned back and flashed him a perplexed look.

"You really want to know?" Zoro asked; there was a hint of hesitation in his tone, almost sounding a bit embarrassed, actually. Tashigi's right brow rose at this. He assumed it was a signal for him to continue. So he did.

"I was cooking breakfast earlier, but I burnt the pan... and my food with it... and the ceiling of my kitchen, too."

"Oh my gosh, Zoro," Tashigi could only shake her head in disbelief. "I don't know what to say."

His cheeks reddened. He could only scratch the back of his head after that. Anybody could burn their pans, anybody could burn their food, but not anybody could burn the ceiling because of inexperience in the kitchen, but that's Zoro Roronoa for you.

This time it was Tashigi who stopped walking. "But were you able to eat anything at all?"

Zoro only shrugged. "Well, bacon's still bacon even if it's burnt."

She shook her head. "Y'know, let's just get something on the way. I haven't really had a decent breakfast earlier, just some fruits to get me by."

At this, Zoro's ears perked up a bit. "Oh, so our Miss Tashigi's on a diet now?"

"I'm not on any diet of some sort, _sir._ I just happened to wake up later than usual and had little time left to prepare some decent breakfast." She quickly replied.

Tashigi's car was parked a few blocks away from the office. Upon seeing the familiar car, Zoro nudged his partner, effectively getting her full attention.

"Hey, let me drive this time."

Tashigi snorted. "Not in a million years, Roronoa."


	3. Scratching the Surface

After almost a year of not updating this, I've finally decided to do so! :D To all those who are still following this story, I'm sorry for making you wait so long. This will start rolling again in the coming weeks, hopefully. I'm still borrowing my sister's laptop so I won't be able to guarantee updates from any of my stories. It just so happened that she doesn't need to use it yet.

If you're also following my other story (Quite Unlikely), I'm putting it on hold at the moment. I'm planning to rewrite everything after rereading the whole thing just because I found it flat and dragging (my fault). It started out as some writing practice that suddenly went big to the point where I don't know the whole point of it anymore. So I'm rewriting it for my sake. Haha!

Anyway, this chapter is a tad longer than the previous chapters, so I hope it makes up with the lost time. Thanks for reading, and do drop a review so that I can know your thoughts!

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**Chapter Three: Scratching the Surface**

"Look, I found a shorter and easier route going to Fuchsia Village through GPS." Tashigi said, showing her mobile phone to Zoro, who was seated across her. "Advanced technology is really amazing, huh?"

Zoro momentarily paused from munching on his bagel to look at the screen before scowling. "If anything, they're a nuisance to me."

The young lady snorted and rolled her eyes. "That's because you're technologically-challenged. My goodness, Roronoa; it's been three whole years and you still haven't learned anything about advanced technology. This is 21st century now. C'mon! It'll do you good to some extent."

"Whatever, _Miss _Tashigi. Whatever those mecha-things can do, I can do, too." He boasted, huffing his chest like a kid. "Well, except maybe that." he quickly added, pointing to Tashigi's phone screen. She only shook her head as she shot him a look of disbelief.

"Anyway, let's hope that Miss Nico's at home. Otherwise, this whole trip is futile." Tashigi said in between chewing her food.

They found a lone gas station along the expressway, which became the first pit stop to fill their tummies and the car's engine. When the pair had finished their breakfast and had loaded the car with enough gasoline to get them by, Tashigi and Zoro proceeded with today's agenda.

Zoro watched as Tashigi installed some contraption of sorts on her side of the car. "What's that?"

"A phone holder," she replied without looking at him. "I can't trust you enough to read a map. You should know that."

He frowned. "There's a nicer way of telling that to me, you know."

Tashigi placed her mobile phone and checked to see if it was secure in place before facing her partner and giving him a blank stare. "The truth hurts, Roronoa, in case you didn't know. Now, let's go."

The drive going to Robin Nico's place was mostly quiet, which wasn't really surprising given Zoro's nature, and Tashigi's sheer concentration on getting them there via the easier route. The silence wasn't the kind that was stuffy anyway, so both of them didn't mind.

Thanks to the map she found via GPS and Tashigi's navigating skills, the pair reached the village an hour earlier than expected. They were now at the gates of the quaint village, far from Sabaody, with Tashigi asking for directions leading to their target's place. Zoro watched the exchange between his partner and the village guard. A little too friendly, he noted. _But if it that helps us get to this Robin Nico faster, then that's fine._

"Thank you, kind sir! We appreciate your help." Tashigi finished her acknowledgment with a sweet smile that didn't escape Zoro's sight. He supposed it should have won him over or something, but he couldn't help but shudder instead. It did work on the village guard, though. His ugly mug just got uglier now that there was an uncharacteristic tint of pink colouring his cheeks. _Slimy bastard, _he thought.

He waited for his partner to close the window before commenting. "That was unnecessary."

Tashigi placed her hand on the hand brake and turned to face him. "What is?"

"That friendly act," he pointed out, scowling. "Since when did you start doing that? You were never like that. I mean, you always sound mad when you're asking anybody during our previous missions."

"Oh," she whispered as she started driving once more. "Well, I found that people like that guard at the gates tend to spill anything when confronted in such manner." She smirked as if she was mighty proud of herself. "I learned it from my boss at the multimedia company I used to work with when we stopped working for Smoker."

Zoro gave her a suspicious look. "Okay."

She quickly glanced at her partner then looked ahead again. "What?"

The young man didn't reply immediately. "Well, you worked for a multimedia company?"

Tashigi hummed in response. "As a part-time graphics designer. It helped pay the bills."

"You know how to make graphics?"

"Um, no. I totally suck when it comes to graphics." She deadpanned before sneering. "Jeez, Zoro. If I was that bad, why would the company even let me in? Duh."

He rolled his eyes. "I didn't think you were the type, that's all."

Tashigi let out a light chuckle. "Oh yeah, I forgot I never really told you much about my life before this investigating stint. I used to be enrolled in a design program until I decided to shift to criminology on my third year. Oh the pain I had to endure just to get my subjects credited and to graduate college on time!"

Zoro nodded slowly. "Yep, that's some new info to me." He muttered, scratching his chin.

"Well, what about you, mysterious man. How had you been faring in life since the last time I saw you?"

He mused for a bit. "Just teaching kendo to kids."

"That's it? No exciting development and such?"

"Well, one of my students pissed himself when I found out he was the one stealing the bread in my pantry."

Tashigi snorted. "What's so exciting about that? Every kid can piss themselves. Even grown-ups sometimes piss themselves out of fear when driven to a corner like a poor animal."

Zoro grinned. "I made him run 10 laps at the yard while we were all practicing inside the dojo."

She looked at him briefly and shot him a stern look. "That's not exciting, Roronoa. That's punishment."

"Well, weren't you the one who was always excited to exact justice?"

"That's a different thing," she was about to argue about her case when she saw the number of one of the houses to her right. "Oh, look. We're here!"

The young woman expertly parked her car in front of the small gate. It was covered with vines with pretty tendrils and yellowbells breaking the sea of green leaves. It almost had a secret garden feel to it, or so Tashigi thought. There were even some flowers of different kinds and colours inside the yard but were a bit obscured by the wooden fences. _This doesn't look so sinister for someone who used to work for that Crocodile bastard._ Perhaps Robin Nico was more pleasant than she thought?

They got out of the car and rang the bell. They heard some shuffling from behind the gate followed by a loud screech of iron on iron and the creaking sound of the wooden gate as it opened, revealing a tall woman, long black hair cascading up to her waist with a face so pleasant, you'd doubt she used to work as a criminal. Robin Nico looked so much younger in person. Prettier, too. Both Tashigi and Zoro were dumbstruck at meeting the key to Crocodile's capture.

Robin flashed them a warm smile. "You must be the two subordinates that Smoker spoke of just a few minutes ago. Come in." She said as she opened the gate wider for both of them to fit.

The pair did just as told. Tashigi was the first to recover from the initial shock. "It's good to finally meet you in person," she paused, shortly contemplating how to address her acquaintance, before settling with, "Nico-san."

The older woman giggled. "No need to be so formal, Tashigi-san. Just Robin is fine."

She smiled slightly. "Uh, this is my partner, Zoro Roronoa," she said as she held her hand towards her companion, "and I'm assuming that Smoker-san has already told you why we're here when he called you up. Has he?"

"He has, and I'd be willing to help you look for the man while you still can." Robin opened the door inside her house and let them in. "Let's stay inside the dining room and talk more about it, shall we?"

For a woman living on her own, Robin's house could let another person take refuge in it. It wasn't a mansion, but it wasn't a cottage either. It was neat, and everything, even the way the orchids fell on the vase and down to the old piano stationed in the living room, seemed to be in place. Tashigi hastily ran a finger on the windowsill as they made their way through the dining room and saw that not even a single dust clung to her clammy finger. _Amazing._

The dining room allowed much natural light to come in. The curtains weren't thick and the windows were wide. The cool breeze from outside made the ends of the curtains ripple, revealing a bit of her flower garden in her backyard. This house didn't really seem to fit someone who used to work for someone sinister.

"Have a seat." She told them as she went to her cupboard to retrieve a box. The pair sat beside each other, exchanging curious looks before Robin turned round to their direction. "Do you have any preference with your tea?"

"None," Tashigi replied. She nudged for her partner to reply. Zoro jolted in his seat for a bit then shook his head.

The older woman smiled. "I'll prepare what I think you'd prefer then." Robin removed two jars inside the box and went on brewing tea for them.

"Um, Nico-san, I hope you don't mind, but would you kindly fill us in about Crocodile's agenda this time?" Tashigi asked politely as she took out her small jotter pad and her pencil from her coat's inner pockets.

The older woman approached the table, a plate of Danish biscuits on her hands, and sat opposite the pair. She lightly pushed the plate towards them before speaking. "I received a call one night from one of the people I used to work with under Crocodile informing me of his escape in prison. She told me he was out to exact revenge to those who turned their backs on him. I don't know how she was able to find that out, but I think the incident that recently happened in Syrup Village is connected to what my former comrade meant."

Zoro's brows furrowed. "Incident at Syrup Village? We didn't hear about that."

"Nobody did. The news didn't cover it despite the casualties it entailed and the amount of money it'll take to reconstruct the destroyed village. Everyone concerned about the incident were probably bribed with something good for them to keep their mouths shut." Robin concluded.

"What makes you think so?" Tashigi inquired, scribbling what just transpired.

"When Crocodile was captured, none of the government police made an effort to look for all of his accomplices, including me. They were able to put into custody some of us, those who worked openly with Crocodile mostly, save for me. Nobody knew who Miss All-Sunday was because I was mostly in charge of the underground dealings of my boss.

"After being spared from the hand of justice, those who didn't get arrested decided to start anew, and settled mostly in the faraway areas from the Sabaody District. I stayed here. Mr. 3—no—Galdino, stayed at Syrup Village. Crocodile was able to track him down and then the incident happened. From what I was told, a neighbour saw Galdino park his truck in front of his house and when he opened his gate to let himself in, a loud explosion was heard that the ground seemed to shake that moment. a fire broke out within the vicinity, taking away houses of Galdino and some of his neighbours. The shrapnel from the explosion also took away the lives of civilians who weren't even concerned with Crocodile. Total body count reached 18."

Tashigi stopped writing to look up. "Wait, if Mr. 3 was among those who died, then how did the person you use to work with identified that Crocodile was behind that?"

"Miss Valentine decided to serve the crime investigation team after Crocodile and the others were apprehended. I don't know if you've met her, but she felt compelled to right everything about her life that's why she applied as a police. How she managed to get herself in, I don't know."

_So one of Crocodile's ex-henchmen is now part of the police, huh? _Tashigi mentally noted as she resumed writing. _Interesting._

Robin stood up to check if the brewing of the tea was finished. She continued with her story as she prepared three teacups. "Anyway, the police were summoned. Miss Valentine happened to be one of those assigned to look at the situation. While gathering data to rule out who was behind it, she found a piece of the explosive used. Upon closer inspection, she was able to identify where it could possibly come from. She didn't want to consider it first until she asked the guards from Impel Down if she can see Crocodile even for a short while. When the guards returned to her, they just found out that Crocodile wasn't in his cell anymore as well as the others who were captured with him.

The explosive that Crocodile used couldn't be found even in black markets. We only get the ingredients from the black market, but because Mister 4 and Miss Christmas are proficient in things concerning gunpowder and explosives, Crocodile has elected them to make explosives for the organization. The piece that Miss Valentine found in front of Galdino's house is exclusively for our organization's use only."

"So we take it that it was Miss Valentine who told about Crocodile's escape?" Tashigi asked, eyes never leaving the paper she was writing on.

"Mhm," Robin hummed in confirmation. The older woman placed all three teacups on a tray and walked back to her seat once more, carefully placing the tray on the table. "But even though the police were alerted about this, there was little progress to capturing Crocodile and the others."

Zoro hissed. "That's the police for you."

"So that's why we were summoned after our long absence." Tashigi mumbled, nodding. "But wait, how was Miss Valentine able to arrive in the conclusion that Crocodile is indeed after those who "turned their backs" on him like you said?"

"On her way home after work, Miss Valentine received a small package from the front desk of the apartment she was staying in. The package contained Galdino's glasses with a note that says, _'Don't let us find you.' _Below it was our group's insignia."

"I see," the young lady whispered. "Have you received the same package then?"

Robin shook her head. "Not yet. Maybe when they've tracked me or something, but given that I hardly go out at all, it'd be long before they find me."

Zoro dragged the warm cup closer to him and quickly glanced at the tea. "So you called the police after receiving a warning from this Miss Valentine?"

"I didn't call the police per se. I called Smoker directly."

"Why? I mean, what's your intention of getting Crocodile jailed again?" Tashigi shot her a curious look.

The older woman chuckled lightly, the sound was almost melodic. "We all know how vile he is and can be. And while I may be his right hand, it doesn't guarantee my safety. I also don't want to jeopardize the innocent. I might have been a criminal in the past, but I only deal with who I should be dealing with—drug lords, traffickers, and traitors within the group. I don't laugh at the demise of the ignorant." Robin's tone had a serious edge to it that almost chilled the whole room. The smile she had on didn't make her look less sinister. "I called your boss, too, because his life might also be in danger."

The pair casted a look that was a cross of surprised, disbelief, and confused.

"Smoker was the one behind Crocodile's apprehension, wasn't he? Out of all the people he's after, he hates him the most."

_That's understandable, I guess, _Tashigi reasoned mentally. Zoro frowned.

Robin leaned closer. "You two have to be careful as well. When Crocodile finds out that Smoker is sending his team to deal with this, there's no assurance that he won't go after you, too."

The sound of Tashigi's scribbling filled the silent atmosphere once Robin was done relaying her story. The only movements in the room that indicated life were Tashigi's quick hand, the rippling of the curtains as the cool breeze entered the dining room, and the steam coming from the teacups. The young lady paused and assessed the information they had collected that afternoon. A slight, satisfied smile crept on her lips after reading through it quickly.

"So Nico-san," she started as she picked up the teacup that their hostess placed in front of her, "what is your relation with Smoker-san anyway? I've been curious about it."

Robin smiled warmly. "Ah, so your boss hasn't told you how we've met, huh?" The older woman giggled. "Smoker... was a childhood friend."

The ride going back to Sabaody was just as quiet as the ride going to Fuchsia Village. The pair was loaded with a lot of information to take in after all, plus they weren't certainly prepared to discover the truth between their boss and their key person. Robin had promised to do what she could to find out about Crocodile's next steps, and the pair had told her about their plan to get a hold of Miss Valentine for further questioning. That is, if the lady would still be alive by the time they get a hold of her. Tashigi asked for Robin's number in case of emergency (and since her partner didn't have any mobile phone with him).

Tashigi's phone rang in the middle of the trip, breaking the silent atmosphere inside the vehicle. She took a quick glance to see who it was and read their boss' name on the screen. "Hey, Zoro, would you mind answering that for me. Just swipe your thumb to the right to pick up."

Zoro carefully picked her phone from where it was contained and did as he was told. "Uh, then what?"

"Put it on speaker so that I can hear and talk to Smoker-san, too."

The young man brought the phone closer to his face to look for anything that remotely resembled his idea of a speaker.

"It's the one that has an icon of a loud speaker on it. Goodness, Roronoa!"

He merely grunted at the insult as he pressed the button on the screen. "Hello, Smoker?"

"So are you guys done with your impromptu appointment with Robin?" There was a crackling noise in the background as their superior spoke, probably from the lack of signal in his office.

"Yes, we are, Smoker-san. We're actually on our way to you now to tell you everything we've gathered." Tashigi said loud enough for their boss to hear. "Oh, do you want anything before we go proceed to your office?"

The line was quiet for a bit before Smoker responded. "A large cup of Americano would be nice."

"But you've had your coffee earlier! Smoker-san, you'll palpitate if you consume another one, and at around this time you won't be able to sleep!"

Zoro could only snicker. "What are you, his mom?"

"The punk's right, Tashigi, and you asked me if I wanted anything. I want a large cup of Americano, and you have to be pretty damn sure you'd get me one." And the line was dead.

The young lady could only shake her head and sigh in exasperation at their short exchange. The young man only laughed.

"You're such a mom, Tashigi," Zoro commented, earning him a swift punch on the shoulder. "And to our boss of all people!"

She hissed. "Well, Smoker-san has a tendency to forget to take care of himself especially when we have cases to take care of. It doesn't help that he smokes _a lot_, sleeps _a little_, and consumes coffee like it's his oxygen or something. He needs to take care of himself more!"

The whole time she was talking, Zoro was just looking on fondly, a goofy grin plastered on his face. Tashigi managed to catch this from her peripheral vision. She gave him a side glare. "What?"

"Nothing," he snorted, "mom."

The young lady let out a loud, frustrated sigh. "Shut it, Roronoa."


End file.
